The present invention relates to an installation for moving persons from a mountain station into a valley station. The installation has a supporting cable, which is guided via supports, and carriages that can be displaced along the supporting cable. An arrangement is fastened on the carriages for accommodating at least one person for transport. The transport arrangement may be a cabin, a chair, a supporting harness, or the like.
An installation of this generic type is known from the international PCT publication WO 98/36811. There, between a valley station and a mountain station there is arranged, on the one hand, a haulage cable, which can convey transporting means, e.g. carriages provided with a supporting harness, to the mountain station, and, on the other hand, a rail which is borne by supports and along which the carriages can descend from the mountain station to the valley station.
The published document, however, only discloses such an installation in diagrammatic terms, whereas design details which are critical for erecting such an installation, and operating it safely, are not disclosed.
The object of the present invention is thus to provide an installation which is intended for moving persons from a mountain station into a valley station and satisfy the design and safety requirements.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an installation for moving persons from a mountain station into a valley station, comprising:
a supporting cable extending from a mountain station to a valley station;
a carriage displaceably disposed along the supporting cable;
a transport assembly, such as a cabin, a chair, or supporting harness, or the like, for accommodating at least one person attached to the carriage; and
a supporting and guide rail fastened on the supporting cable along which the carriages can be displaced from the mountain station to the valley station.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, a plurality of pylons support the supporting cable between the mountain station and the valley station.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the supporting and guide rail is a T-shaped rail having a vertical web with a top end fastened on the supporting cable and legs laterally projecting from the vertical web. The laterally projecting legs form a running surface for the carriage.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, brackets fastened at the top end of the vertical web of the T-shaped rail enclose the supporting cable and they are displaceably disposed with respect to the supporting cable.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, eddy-current brakes are disposed along the supporting and guide rail for controlling a speed of the carriages moving along the supporting and guide rail.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, a number of strips of magnetically non-conducting material are fastened on the supporting and guide rail at locations of the installation along the rail at which the carriages are to be braked. The strips may be formed of copper, aluminum, and/or high-grade, stainless steel.
In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the carriage comprises at least four running rollers disposed to roll on the legs of the T-shaped rail and at least two mating rollers adapted to roll on an underside of the legs opposite from the running rollers. Furthermore, four guide rollers may be provided to roll on the vertical web of the T-shaped rail.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the supporting and guide rail is formed of a multiplicity of individual rail sections that are interconnected with brackets.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the supporting and guide rail is disposed in straight segments and curved segments between the mountain station and the valley station. The strips of magnetically non-conducting material are fastened on the supporting and guide rail at locations upstream of the curved segments in a travel direction from the mountain station to the valley station. And the carriage carries at least one permanent magnet adapted to interact with the strips for braking the carriages upstream of the curved segments of the supporting and guide rail.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, deflecting rollers support the supporting cable in the curved segments of the supporting and guide rail. In this case, a plurality of pylons support the supporting cable via the deflecting rollers, and struts attach the supporting and guide rail to the supporting pylons.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, a plurality of struts support the supporting and guide rail on the supporting pylons in the curved segments.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an installation for moving persons from a mountain station into a valley station, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.